Information processing device, table, display control method, program, portable terminal, and information processing system

ABSTRACT

An information processing device includes a touch panel that detects a first user input, a communication unit that communicates with a portable terminal which detects a second user input, a data obtaining unit that obtains content data including an operable object, a display output unit that outputs a content image which displays the object, and a control unit that controls an operation of the object displayed in the content image, wherein the control unit executes a first operation of the object if the first user input is detected by the touch panel, and executes a second operation of the object if the second user input is received from the portable terminal by the communication unit.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application is a continuation of U.S. patent applicationSer. No. 13/289,193 filed on Nov. 4, 2011, which claims the benefit ofJapanese Patent Application No. P-2010-252748 filed on Nov. 11, 2010,the disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference.

BACKGROUND

The present disclosure relates to an information processing device, atable, a display control method, a program, a portable terminal, and aninformation processing system.

In recent years, various fields such as creation and use of contentitems, and operations of a video game, online shopping, and digitalappliances have been oriented toward a user interface (UI) whichpromotes closer interaction between content items displayed on a screenand a user For example, Japanese Unexamined Patent ApplicationPublication No. 2009-42796 has proposed a method of heightening theintuitiveness for an operation of an image object by using a touch on atouch pad and gestures detected via a camera in a complex manner.

SUMMARY

However, in the method of using gesture recognition, only operationscorresponding to gestures registered in advance are performed, and thusit is difficult for a user to flexibly move objects. In addition,learning the registered gestures is a burden on the user. Further, forexample, in a dark place, there is concern that the UI may not correctlyrecognize user gestures which are captured by a camera, and thus may notnormally function.

It is desirable to provide an information processing device, a table, adisplay control method, a program, a portable terminal, and aninformation processing system, which are novel and improved, capable ofproviding a user interface for solving at least one of the problems.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, there is providedan information processing device including a touch panel that detects afirst user input; a communication unit that communicates with a portableterminal which detects a second user input; a data obtaining unit thatobtains content data including an operable object; a display output unitthat outputs a content image which displays the object; and a controlunit that controls an operation of the object displayed in the contentimage, wherein the control unit executes a first operation of the objectif the first user input is detected by the touch panel, and executes asecond operation of the object if the second user input is received fromthe portable terminal by the communication unit.

The second user input may be a user input corresponding to a change inthe orientation of the portable terminal, and the second operation maybe a change in the orientation of the object in the content image.

In addition, the first user input may be a drag by a user on the touchpanel, and the first operation may be a size change, a movement, or aviewpoint change of the object in the content image.

Further, the first user input may be a touch by a user on the touchpanel, and the first operation may be a selection of an operation targetobject from a plurality of operable objects.

The first user input may be a drag by a user on the touch panel, and thefirst operation may be a movement of the object in the content image. Inthis case, the control unit may control a movement direction of theobject depending on the orientation of the object which is changed basedon the second user input.

The portable terminal may further detect a third user input, and thecontrol unit may switch the first operation, executed based on the firstuser input, between a plurality of operation candidates, if the thirduser input is received from the portable terminal by the communicationunit.

The display output unit may output the content image to an externaldisplay device of the information processing device.

The control unit may display operation guidance showing an explanationregarding an operation of the object on the touch panel.

According to another embodiment of the present disclosure, there isprovided a table including a main body with the information processingdevice built therein; and a top panel where a display surface of thetouch panel of the information processing device is disposed at theupper side thereof.

According to still another embodiment of the present disclosure, thereis provided a display control method for controlling display of acontent item, in an information processing device which has a touchpanel and can communicate with a portable terminal, including obtainingcontent data including an operable object; outputting a content imagewhich displays the object; executing a first operation of the objectdisplayed in the content image if the first user input is detected bythe touch panel; and executing a second operation of the objectdisplayed in the content image if the second user input is received fromthe portable terminal.

The second user input may be a user input corresponding to a change inthe orientation of the portable terminal, and the second operation maybe a change in the orientation of the object in the content image.

The first user input may be a drag by a user on the touch panel, and thefirst operation may be a size change, a movement, or a viewpoint changeof the object in the content image.

According to still another embodiment of the present disclosure, thereis provided a program enabling a computer which controls an informationprocessing device which has a touch panel and can communicate with aportable terminal, to function as a data obtaining unit that obtainscontent data including an operable object; a display output unit thatoutputs a content image which displays the object; and a control unitthat controls an operation of the object displayed in the content image,wherein the control unit executes a first operation of the objectdisplayed in the content image if the first user input is detected bythe touch panel, and executes a second operation of the object displayedin the content image if the second user input is received from theportable terminal.

According to still another embodiment of the present disclosure, thereis provided a portable terminal including a communication unit thatcommunicates with an information processing device having a touch panelwhich detects a first user input; a sensor that detects a second userinput; a data obtaining unit that obtains content data including anoperable object; a display output unit that outputs a content imagewhich displays the object; and a control unit that controls an operationof the object displayed in the content image, wherein the control unitexecutes a first operation of the object if the first user input isreceived from the information processing device by the communicationunit, and executes a second operation of the object if the second userinput is detected by the sensor.

According to still another embodiment of the present disclosure, thereis provided an information processing system including an informationprocessing device that has a touch panel detecting a first user input;and a portable terminal that has a sensor detecting a second user inputand can communicate with the information processing device, wherein atleast one of the information processing device and the portable terminalincludes, a data obtaining unit that obtains content data including anoperable object; a display output unit that outputs a content imagewhich displays the object; and a control unit that controls an operationof the object displayed in the content image, and wherein the controlunit executes a first operation of the object if the first user input isdetected by the touch panel, and executes a second operation of theobject if the second user input is detected by the sensor.

As described above, according to the information processing device, thetable, the display control method, the program, a portable terminal, andthe information processing system in the embodiments of the presentdisclosure, it is possible to provide a UI which solves at least oneproblem described above and heightens flexibility of an operation morethan a UI based on gesture recognition.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating an outline of an informationprocessing system.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating an example of the configurationof the portable terminal according to a first embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating an example of the configurationof the information processing device according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating human body communication between theinformation processing device and the portable terminal.

FIG. 5 is a sequence diagram illustrating an example of the flow of thepre-process of the display control process according to the firstembodiment.

FIG. 6 is a sequence diagram illustrating an example of the flow of thedisplay control process according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating an example of the UI formation datacorrelated with content data.

FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating an example of the mapping between userinputs and operation contents.

FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating an example of the packet format of thequery packet for device search.

FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of the packet format of theresponse packet to the query packet in FIG. 9.

FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating an example of the operation guidancedisplayed on the touch panel of the information processing device.

FIG. 12 is a diagram illustrating an example of the packet format of thesensor data packet.

FIG. 13 is a flowchart illustrating an example of the flow of processesperformed by the information processing device according to the firstembodiment.

FIG. 14 is a flowchart illustrating an example of the flow of processesperformed by the portable terminal according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 15 is a sequence diagram illustrating an example of the flow of thepre-process of the display control process according to a secondembodiment.

FIG. 16 is a sequence diagram illustrating an example of the flow of thedisplay control process according to the second embodiment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS

Hereinafter, exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure will bedescribed with reference to the accompanying drawings. In addition, inthe present specification and the drawings, constituent elements havingsubstantially the same functional configuration are given the samereference numerals, and repeated description thereof will be omitted.

The embodiments will be described in the following order.

-   -   1. OUTLINE OF SYSTEM    -   2. DESCRIPTION OF FIRST EMBODIMENT        -   2-1. CONFIGURATION EXAMPLE OF PORTABLE TERMINAL        -   2-2. CONFIGURATION EXAMPLE OF INFORMATION PROCESSING DEVICE        -   2-3. EXAMPLE OF FLOW OF DISPLAY CONTROL PROCESS        -   2-4. PROCESS IN EACH DEVICE    -   3. SECOND EMBODIMENT    -   4. CONCLUSION

1. OUTLINE OF SYSTEM

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating an outline of an informationprocessing system 1 according to an embodiment of the presentdisclosure. In FIG. 1, the information processing system 1 includes adisplay device 10, a portable terminal 20, and an information processingdevice 100. In the example shown in FIG. 1, the portable terminal 20 isheld by a user. In addition, the information processing device 100 isbuilt into in a table 50 positioned in front of the user.

The display device 10 displays a content item designated by the user ona screen in the information processing system 1. The display device 10may be, for example, a television set having a screen such as a liquidcrystal display, a PDP (Plasma Display Panel), a CRT (Cathode Ray Tube),an OLED (Organic Light-Emitting Diode), a monitor for a PC (PersonalComputer), or other display devices.

The portable terminal 20 is a portable terminal device having at leastone sensor such as, for example, a gyro sensor, an electronic compass,or an acceleration sensor. The portable terminal 20 partially provides aUI to the user so as to operate content items displayed by the displaydevice 10 using the above-described sensor, in cooperation with theinformation processing device 100. The portable terminal 20 may be asmart phone, a PDA (Personal Digital Assistant), a PND (PortableNavigation Device), a portable game terminal, or a portable musicplayer.

The table 50 has a top panel 52, one or more legs 54, and a main body56. The main body 56 has a module group of the information processingdevice 100 built therein. A display surface of a touch panel of theinformation processing device 100 is exposed to the surface of the toppanel 52.

The information processing device 100 has a device having the touchpanel which can detect a touch by the user. The information processingdevice 100 partially provides a UI to the user so as to operate contentitems displayed by the display device 10 using the above-described touchpanel, in cooperation with the portable terminal 20. In the exampleshown in FIG. 1, the information processing device 100 is built into thetable 50; however, instead thereof, the information processing device100 may be, for example, in a PC (Personal Computer) configuredseparately from the table 50. In this case, the information processingdevice 100 may be placed on the table 50 during the use.

The information processing device 100 may communicate with the portableterminal 20 according to an arbitrary wireless communication protocolsuch as, for example, a wireless LAN (Local Area Network), Bluetooth(registered trademark) or NFC (Near Field Communication). Instead ofthese, the information processing device 100 may communicate with theportable terminal 20 via the body of the user, for example, using ahuman body communication technique disclosed in Japanese UnexaminedPatent Application Publication No. 2010-21984.

In the present specification, a UI realized through cooperation of theportable terminal 20 and the information processing device 100 will bedescribed in detail. In the first embodiment described below, theinformation processing device 100 works as a master of the UI. Inaddition, in the second embodiment, the portable terminal 20 works as amaster of the UI.

2. DESCRIPTION OF FIRST EMBODIMENT 2-1. Configuration Example ofPortable Terminal

FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating an example of the configurationof the portable terminal 20 according to the first embodiment. Referringto FIG. 2, the portable terminal includes an input unit 22, acommunication unit 24, a storage unit 26, a data obtaining unit 28, acontrol unit 30, a display unit 32, and a display output unit 34.

The input unit 22 includes one or more sensors, touch panels, key pads,and buttons, or other input portions such as switches, and detects userinput to the portable terminal 20. The sensor included in the input unit22 may be, for example, a gyro sensor, an electronic compass, anacceleration sensor, or the like. The input unit 22 outputs datameasured by the sensors (hereinafter, referred to as sensor data) to thecontrol unit 30 in a time series.

The communication unit 24 includes a communication interface forcommunication between the portable terminal 20 and the informationprocessing device 100. The communication unit 24 may include a wirelesscommunication interface which implements a wireless communicationprotocol, such as, for example, a wireless LAN, Bluetooth (registeredtrademark) or NFC thereon. Instead of these, the communication unit 24may include, for example, a human body communication interface havingelectrodes for the above-described human body communication. Further,the communication unit 24 may include a connection interface using whichthe portable terminal 20 is connected to an external network.

The storage unit 26 stores programs and control data where processlogics executed by the portable terminal 20 are described, using astorage medium such as a hard disk or a semiconductor memory. Inaddition, the storage unit 26 may store content data including objectswhich can be operated by a user. The content data stored in the storageunit 26 may be image data, 2D or 3D video data, animation data, aninteractive web page, or the like.

The data obtaining unit 28 may obtain content data including operableobjects. For example, the data obtaining unit 28 may obtain image dataor video data imaged by an imaging portion (not shown) of the portableterminal 20. In addition, the data obtaining unit 28 may obtain contentdata which is downloaded from an external network via the communicationunit 24.

The control unit 30 controls the overall operations of the portableterminal 20 using a processor such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit),an MPU (Micro Processing Unit) or a DSP (Digital Signal Processor). Forexample, the control unit 30 establishes communication with theinformation processing device 100 via the communication unit 24. Inaddition, the control unit 30 outputs the sensor data input from theinput unit 22 to the information processing device 100 via thecommunication unit 24. Further, the control unit 30 may display a listof content data stored in the storage unit 26 on the display unit 32 orscreens of other devices such that the user designates content data tobe reproduced.

The display unit 32 has a unique screen of the portable terminal 20. Thedisplay unit 32 may display, for example, a desktop image, anapplication image, a content data list, or the like of the portableterminal 20 on the screen under the control of the control unit 30.

The display output unit 34 is an output interface for outputting animage from the portable terminal 20 to the display device 10. In theembodiment, as described later, content data is reproduced by theinformation processing device 100, and a content image is output to thedisplay device 10 from the information processing device 100. However,the embodiment is not limited thereto, but content data may bereproduced by the portable terminal 20, and a content image may beoutput to the display device 10 from the display output unit 34 of theportable terminal 20.

2-2. Configuration Example of Information Processing Device

FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating an example of the configurationof the information processing device 100 according to the firstembodiment. In FIG. 3, the information processing device 100 includes atouch detection unit 112, a display unit 114, a communication unit 120,a storage unit 130, a data obtaining unit 140, a display output unit150, and a control unit 160.

The touch detection unit 112 and the display unit 114 form a touch panel110. The touch detection unit 112 detects, for example, a touch by theuser on the display surface exposed to the surface of the top panel 52of the table 50 shown in FIG. 1, and outputs an electric signalindicating a touched position to the control unit 160. The display unit114 displays an image input from the control unit 160 on a displaysurface of the touch panel. An image displayed by the display unit 114includes an image of operation guidance for objects displayed in acontent image output to the display device 10.

The communication unit 120 includes a communication interface forcommunication between the information processing device 100 and theportable terminal 20. The communication unit 120 may include a wirelesscommunication interface which implements a wireless communicationprotocol, such as, for example, a wireless LAN, Bluetooth (registeredtrademark) or NFC thereon. Instead thereof, the communication unit 120may include, for example, a human body communication interface havingelectrodes for the above-described human body communication. Further,the communication unit 120 may include a connection interface usingwhich the information processing device 100 connects to an externalnetwork (the Internet, a DLNA network, or the like).

FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating the human body communication which isan example of the communication between the portable terminal 20 and theinformation processing device 100. In FIG. 4, a user Ua grasps (orinstalls) the portable terminal 20 and comes into contact with theinformation processing device 100. In the example shown in FIG. 4, thecommunication unit 24 of the portable terminal 20 includes an electrode24 a and a modulation and demodulation (modem) unit 24 b. The electrode24 a is capacitively coupled with the ground or air having a referencepotential (GND: ground) to thereby form a capacitor. In a similarmanner, the communication unit 120 of the information processing device100 includes an electrode 120 a and a modem unit 120 b. The electrode120 a is also capacitively coupled with the ground or air having thereference potential to thereby form a capacitor. A communication signalmay be modulated due to a potential difference between the electrodesand be transmitted between the portable terminal 20 and the informationprocessing device 100 via the body of the user Ua. In addition, thehuman body communication is only an example, and communication betweenthe portable terminal 20 and the information processing device 100 maybe performed via other communication forms.

Referring to FIG. 3 again, description of an example of theconfiguration of the information processing device 100 according to theembodiment is continued.

The storage unit 130 stores programs and control data where processlogics executed by the information processing device 100 are described,using a storage medium such as a hard disk or a semiconductor memory. Inaddition, the storage unit 130 stores content data including objectswhich can be operated by a user.

The data obtaining unit 140 obtains content data including operableobjects. For example, the data obtaining unit 140 may content datastored in the storage unit 130. In addition, the data obtaining unit 140may obtain content data stored in the storage unit 26 of the portableterminal 20 via the communication unit 120. In addition, the dataobtaining unit 140 may obtain content data which is downloaded from anexternal network via the communication unit 120. The content dataobtained by the data obtaining unit 140 may be reproduced by the controlunit 160.

The display output unit 150 is an output interface for outputting animage from the information processing device 100 to the display device10. The display output unit 150 may be a video output interfaceimplementing a video transmission protocol such as, for example, HDMI(High Definition Multimedia Interface) or DVI (Digital VisualInterface). The output interface of the display output unit 150 may be awired interface or a wireless interface.

The control unit 160 controls the overall operations of the informationprocessing device 100 using a processor such as a CPU, an MPU, or a DSP.For example, the control unit 160 displays a list of content dataobtained by the data obtaining unit 140 on the display unit 114 orscreens of other devices such that a user designates content data to bereproduced. In addition, the control unit 160 displays a content imageobtained by reproducing the designated content data on the displaydevice 10 via the display output unit 150. The control unit 160establishes communication with the portable terminal 20 via thecommunication unit 120. Further, the control unit 160 controls anoperation of objects displayed in a content image in response to a firstuser input detected by the touch panel 110 and a second user inputdetected by the portable terminal 20. The second user input detected bythe portable terminal 20 can be recognized through sensor data receivedby the communication unit 120.

2-3. Example of Flow of Display Control Process

An example of the flow of the display control process performed by theinformation processing system 1 will be described with reference toFIGS. 5 and 6.

(1) Pre-Process

FIG. 5 is a sequence diagram illustrating an example of the flow of thepre-process of the display control process according to the embodiment.Referring to FIG. 5, an example of the sequence of the pre-process whichinvolves the user, the portable terminal 20, the information processingdevice 100, and the display device 10 is shown.

First, the pre-process of the display control process starts when theuser designates content data to be reproduced (step S102). For example,the user selects a desired item from a list of content data displayed onthe display surface of the touch panel 110 of the information processingdevice 100 and touches the selected item, thereby designating contentdata.

Next, the data obtaining unit 140 of the information processing device100 obtains the designated content data from the storage unit 130 of theinformation processing device 100, the storage unit 26 of the portableterminal 20, or an external network (step S104). In addition, the dataobtaining unit 140 obtains UI formation data which is correlated withthe content data in step S104, and defines a correspondence relationshipbetween the user input and an operation of objects included in thecontent data (step S106).

FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating an example of the UI formation datacorrelated with content data. FIG. 7 shows an example of the data formatof content data 132. In the data format in FIG. 7, the content data 132includes a common header 134, an expanded header 136, and object data138. The common header 134 stores standard header information such as,for example, the kind of content data, the creation date, and the datalength therein. The object data 138 stores actual data of objectsforming a content item therein.

The UI formation data is stored in, for example, the expanded header136. The UI formation data includes, for example, information on asensor to be used, and operation definition information. The informationon a sensor to be used is information specifying a sensor used foroperation of the objects included in the actual data in the object data138. The information on a sensor to be used may be a bit stream or or acode value indicating use or nonuse for each kind of sensor such as, forexample, a gyro sensor, an electronic compass, an acceleration sensor,and a touch panel. The operation definition information is informationwhich defines mapping between user inputs detected via theabove-described sensor and more abstract operation contents of anobject.

FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating an example of the mapping between userinputs and operation contents. FIG. 8 shows the kinds of user inputs andcorresponding operation contents in relation to six input events Ev01,Ev11, Ev12, Ev13, Ev21, and Ev31 of the user inputs. For example, a tapon the touch panel of the information processing device 100 correspondsto a selection of an object to be operated (event Ev01). A drag on thetouch panel corresponds to one of a movement, a size change, and aviewpoint change of an object, according to three kinds of input states(events Ev11 to Ev13). A change in the orientation detected by thesensor of the portable terminal 20 corresponds to rotation (3D rotationor 2D rotation) of an object (event Ev21). A movement direction of anobject corresponding to the input event Ev11 may be changed when theorientation of the object is changed through the rotation of the object.For example, a UI may be realized in such a manner that if an objectstands upright, the object travels in a straight line according to theinput event Ev11, and if the object is tilted, the object is moved in acurved manner according to the input event Ev11. The pressing of apredetermined button of the portable terminal 20 corresponds toswitching between input states (event Ev31).

The definition of the mapping between the user inputs and the operationcontents in FIG. 8 is only an example. For example, among the drags onthe touch panel, a drag in the vertical direction may be mapped onto asize change of an object, a drag in the horizontal direction may bemapped onto a movement of an object. In addition, mapping between theuser inputs and the operation contents may be customized or personalizedfor each user. However, when the UI functions for operating objects aredistributed into the portable terminal 20 and the touch panel 110 of theinformation processing device 100, a change in the orientation of anobject, that is, rotation of the object is preferably mapped onto achange in the orientation of the portable terminal 20. This is becausethe portable terminal 20 can be flexibly changed in the orientation in astate of being held by the user, whereas the touch panel 110 of theinformation processing device 100 is disposed on the table 50 so as tobe substantially fixed. If a control of the orientation of an object inthe portable terminal 20 and a control of a movement of the object inthe touch panel 110 are performed at the same time, the user canflexibly operate the object with both the hands.

In addition, an example where the UI formation data is included in theheader of the content data has been described here. However, forexample, in a case where a UI configuration is standardized for aspecific content item, the UI formation data may be omitted from thecontent data. In addition, only a URL (Uniform Resource Locator)indicating the position of the UI formation data is described in thecontent data, and the information processing device 100 may access theURL and additionally obtain the UI formation data.

Referring to FIG. 5 again, the description of an example of thepre-process of the display control process is continued.

If the content data designated by the user is obtained, the control unit160 of the information processing device 100 outputs a content image inan initial state via the display output unit 150 and displays thecontent image on the display device 10 (step S108).

If the UI formation data correlated with the content data, the controlunit 160 searches for devices having the sensor designated by theinformation on a sensor to be used inside the UI formation data (stepS112). For example, the communication unit 120 transmits a query packethaving a predetermined format to peripheral devices of the informationprocessing device 100, thereby performing the device search. If thequery packet is received from the information processing device 100, theportable terminal 20 responds to the device search by transmitting aresponse packet to the query packet (step S114).

FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating an example of the packet format of thequery packet for the device search. Referring to FIG. 9, an exemplaryquery packet 132 includes a query header 134, query side functioninformation 136, and request function information 138. The query header134 stores header information such as, for example, ID of the querypacket, ID of the information processing device 100, the kind of packetformat, and the packet length therein. The query side functioninformation 136 includes information on the capabilities (for example,the kind of available communication protocol, the kind of sensor, andthe like) of the information processing device 100 which is the queryside. The request function information 138 includes information onfunctions requested for a device receiving the query. In the exampleshown in FIG. 9, a list of sensors requested to realize a desired UI isincluded in the request function information 138.

FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of the packet format of theresponse packet to the query packet shown in FIG. 9. In FIG. 10, anexemplary response packet 142 includes a response header 144, andresponse side function information 146. The response header 144 storesheader information such as, for example, ID of the response packet, IDof the corresponding query packet, ID of the portable terminal 20, andthe packet length therein. The response side function information 146includes information on the capabilities of the portable terminal 20which is a response side. In the example shown in FIG. 10, the responseside function information 146 includes a list of sensors available tothe portable terminal 20 of the sensor group indicated by the requestfunction information 138 of the query packet.

Referring to FIG. 5 again, the description of an example of thepre-process of the display control process is continued.

If the response packet is received from the portable terminal 20, thecontrol unit 160 of the information processing device 100 establishescommunication with the portable terminal 20 through, for example,exchange of connection information, mutual authentication, and the like(step S116).

Next, the control unit 160 displays operation guidance on the displayunit 114 based on the operation definition information included in theUI formation data (step S118). FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating anexample of the operation guidance displayed by the display unit 114. InFIG. 11, exemplary operation guidance 150 includes a touch region range152, an input state display portion 154, and a terminal operationexplanation portion 156. The touch region range 152 is a frameindicating a region where a user performs a user input, such as a touchor a drag. The input state display portion 154 indicates a current inputstate among a plurality of input states and a switching method of theinput state. The terminal operation explanation portion 156 indicates anexplanation for what kind of operation is performed using the portableterminal 20. In addition, in a case where there is a sensor which is notavailable to the portable terminal 20, an explanation for the sensor maybe shown in the terminal operation explanation portion 156. The userconfirms the operation guidance and uses both the portable terminal 20and the touch panel 110 of the information processing device 100,thereby operating operable objects displayed by the display device 10.

When the operation guidance as exemplified in FIG. 11 is displayed, thepre-process of the display control process in the information processingsystem 1 is completed.

(2) Display Control Process

FIG. 6 is a sequence diagram illustrating an example of the flow of thedisplay control process according to the embodiment. The display controlprocess subsequent to the pre-process involves the user, the portableterminal 20, the information processing device 100, and the displaydevice 10. In addition, the display control process is typicallyperformed by an event driving method. Therefore, the procedures and thenumber of the user inputs shown in FIG. 6 are merely for convenience ofdescription. In the following description, a user input detected by thetouch panel 110 of the information processing device 100 is referred toas a first user input, and a user input detected by the portableterminal 20 and received by the communication unit 120 of theinformation processing device 100 is referred to as a second user input.

For example, if the first user input is detected by the touch panel 110(step S130), the control unit 160 executes a first operation of anobject displayed in the content image (step S132). As described withreference to FIG. 8, for example, the first user input may be a touch bythe user on the touch panel 110, and the first operation may be aselection of an operation target object from a plurality of operableobjects. Further, for example, the first user input may be a drag by theuser on the touch panel 110, and the first operation may be a sizechange, a movement, or a viewpoint change of an object. The control unit160 analyzes the first user input based on an input state, and outputs acontent image according to the first operation (step S134).

In addition, for example, if the second user input is detected by theportable terminal 20 (steps S140 and S142), the control unit 160executes a second operation of an object displayed in the content image(step S144). As described with reference to FIG. 8, for example, thesecond user input may be a change in the orientation of the portableterminal 20, and the second operation may be a change in the orientationof an object. The control unit 160 recognizes the second user inputbased on the sensor data received by the communication unit 120, andoutputs a content image according to the second operation (step S146).

For example, if the first user input is detected by the touch panel 110(step S150) and the second user input is detected by the portableterminal 20 (steps S152 and S154), an operation of an object differentfrom the first and second operations may be executed (step S156). Forexample, the object may be moved based on the first user input in adifferent direction according to the orientation of the object which hasbeen changed because the orientation of the object is changed based onthe second user input. The control unit 160 may output a content imagecorresponding to such an operation (step S158).

FIG. 12 is a diagram illustrating an example of the packet format of thesensor data packet which may be transmitted to the informationprocessing device 100 from the portable terminal 20 in steps S142 andS154 shown in FIG. 6. In FIG. 12, an exemplary sensor data packet 152includes a sensor data header 154, and one or more sensor data fields156 a to 156 n. The sensor data header 154 may include, for example, IDof the portable terminal 20, the number of sensor data fields in thepacket, a time stamp indicating measurement time, and the like. Each ofthe sensor data fields 156 a to 156 n may include a measurement resultaccording to the kind of sensor. For example, the sensor data mayinclude an angular velocity for each rotation direction in relation tothe gyro sensor, an azimuth in relation to the electronic compass, atriaxial acceleration in relation to the acceleration sensor, and a datavalue of a touched position, a dragged position, or the like in relationto the touch panel.

2-4. Process in Each Device

(1) Master Side Device

FIG. 13 is a flowchart illustrating an example of the flow of theprocesses performed by the information processing device 100 working asa master of the UI according to the embodiment.

In FIG. 13, first, the data obtaining unit 140 obtains content data(step S161). Next, the data obtaining unit 140 obtains UI formation datacorrelated with the content data (step S162). The control unit 160recognizes a sensor, which is used in a UI for an operation of objectsincluded in the content data, from the UI formation data (step S163). Inaddition, the control unit 160 outputs a content image in an initialstate to the display device 10 via the display output unit 150 (stepS164).

Thereafter, the communication unit 120 transmits a query packet fordevice search (step S165). The information processing device 100 waitsfor responses from peripheral devices (step S166). Here, if there is noresponse even after a predetermined waiting time has elapsed, thecontrol unit 160 controls an operation of an object without using otherdevices (step S167). On the other hand, for example, if a responsepacket is received from the portable terminal 20, the control unit 160establishes communication with the portable terminal (step S168). Inaddition, the control unit 160 displays the operation guidance asexemplified in FIG. 11 on the display unit 114 according to the UIformation data (step S169).

Thereafter, the control unit 160 waits for a user input to be detected(step S170). If the user input is detected, the control unit 160recognizes an input event from the user input, and controls an operationof an object according to the recognized input event. In addition, thecontrol unit 160 updates a content image output to the display device 10(step S171). Such an operation of an object may be continued until, forexample, reception of sensor data from the portable terminal 20 stops(step S172). In addition, if the sensor data stops being received, thecontrol unit 160 finishes the communication with the portable terminal20 (step S173). Further, the communication between the portable terminal20 and the information processing device 100 may be finished due to anexplicit instruction from a user or other events, and not the stop ofsensor data reception.

(2) Slave Side Device

FIG. 14 is a flowchart illustrating an example of the flow of theprocesses performed by the portable terminal 20 working as a slave ofthe UI according to the embodiment.

First, the communication unit 24 of the portable terminal 20 waits forthe query packet for device search to be received from the informationprocessing device 100 (step S181). If the query packet is received bythe communication unit 24, the control unit 30 generates a responsepacket including a list of sensors available to the portable terminaland generates the response packet to the information processing device100 via the communication unit 24 (step S182). In addition, the controlunit 30 establishes communication with the information processing device100 (step S183).

Thereafter, the control unit 30 continues to transmit data measured bythe sensor of the input unit 22 to the information processing device 100via the communication unit 24 as sensor data (step S184). In addition,the control unit 30 may transmit an input event such as pressing of apredetermined button to the information processing device 100. Thecommunication between the portable terminal 20 and the informationprocessing device 100 may be continued, for example, until aninstruction for finishing an operation of an object is detected, oruntil it is detected that a user becomes distant from the informationprocessing device 100 (or the table 50) (step S185). In addition, thecontrol unit 30 finishes the communication with the informationprocessing device 100 along with the finishing of an operation of anobject (step S186).

3. DESCRIPTION OF SECOND EMBODIMENT

Next, according to a second embodiment of the present disclosure, anexample of the flow of the processes when the portable terminal 20 worksas a master of the UI and the information processing device 100 works asa slave of the UI will be described.

(1) Pre-Process

FIG. 15 is a sequence diagram illustrating an example of the flow of thepre-process of the display control process according to the secondembodiment. Referring to FIG. 15, an example of the sequence of thepre-process which involves the user, the portable terminal 20, theinformation processing device 100, and the display device 10 is shown.

First, the pre-process of the display control process starts when theuser designates content data to be reproduced (step S202). For example,the user selects a desired item from a list of content data displayed onthe display unit 32 of the portable terminal 20, thereby designatingcontent data.

Next, the data obtaining unit 28 of the portable terminal 20 obtains thedesignated content data from the storage unit 26 of the portableterminal 20, the storage unit 130 of the information processing device100, or an external network (step S204). In addition, the data obtainingunit 28 obtains UI formation data which is correlated with the contentdata in step S204 and defines a correspondence relationship between theuser input and an operation of objects included in the content data(step S206), and if the content data designated by the user is obtained,the control unit 30 of the portable terminal 20 outputs a content imagein an initial state via the display output unit 34 and displays thecontent image on the display device 10 (step S208).

If the UI formation data correlated with the content data, the controlunit 30 searches for devices having the sensor designated by theinformation on a sensor to be used inside the UI formation data (stepS212). For example, the communication unit 24 transmits a query packethaving a predetermined format to peripheral devices of the portableterminal 20, thereby performing the device search. If the query packetis received from the portable terminal 20, the information processingdevice 100 responds to the device search by transmitting a responsepacket to the query packet (step S214).

If the response packet is received from the information processingdevice 100, the control unit 30 of the portable terminal 20 establishescommunication with the information processing device 100 through, forexample, exchange of connection information, mutual authentication, andthe like (step S216).

Next, the control unit 30 transmits the operation definition informationincluded in the UI formation data to the information processing device100 and displays operation guidance on the display unit 114 of theinformation processing device 100 (step S218). When the operationguidance as exemplified in FIG. 11 is displayed, the pre-process of thedisplay control process according to the embodiment is completed.

(2) Display Control Process

FIG. 16 is a sequence diagram illustrating an example of the flow of thedisplay control process according to the embodiment. The display controlprocess subsequent to the pre-process involves the user, the portableterminal 20, the information processing device 100, and the displaydevice 10. In addition, the procedures and the number of the user inputsshown in FIG. 16 are merely for convenience of description.

For example, if the first user input is detected by the touch panel 110of the information processing device 100 (step S230), the control unit30 of the portable terminal 20 receives sensor data indicating a touchedposition from the information processing device 100 via thecommunication unit (step S232). In addition, the control unit 30executes a first operation of an objected displayed in the content image(step S234), and outputs a content image according to the firstoperation (step S236).

In addition, for example, if the second user input is detected by thesensor of the input unit 22 (step S240), the control unit 30 executes asecond operation of an object displayed in the content image (stepS242). The control unit 30 outputs a content image according to thesecond operation (step S244).

For example, if the first user input is detected by the touch panel 110(steps S250 and S252) and the second user input is detected by thesensor of the input unit 22 (step S254), the control unit 30 may executean operation of an object different from the first and second operations(step S256). The control unit 30 outputs a content image according tothe operation of an object, different from the first and secondoperations (step S258).

The operation of an object executed in the display control process maybe the same as the operation according to the mapping between userinputs and operation contents as exemplified in FIG. 8.

4. CONCLUSION

The first and second embodiments of the present disclosure have beendescribed hitherto with reference to FIGS. 1 to 16. According to theembodiments, there is a realization of the user interface which usesboth the first user input detected by the touch panel 110 of theinformation processing device 100 and the second user input detected bythe portable terminal 20. That is to say, since variations of userinputs are expanded as compared with a case of performing an operationwith a single device, a user can flexibly move objects using twodevices. Particularly, in recent years, various sensors have beenminiaturized, and the miniaturized sensors have been mounted on avariety of portable terminals represented by smart phones. Therefore,according to the embodiments described above, it is possible toeffectively improve the convenience of operations by expanding a userinterface of a cradle type computer (or a computer placed on a table atleast during use thereof) using sensors of portable terminalsdistributed in the market. In addition, a device (for example, a touchpanel terminal such as the information processing device 100, or a TVset such as the display device 10) which does not have an appropriateinput portion for inputting characters such as a key pad is linked to aportable terminal, and thereby it is possible to resolve inconveniencewhen characters are input to the device.

In addition, a user can move while handling the touch panel of theinformation processing system with the right hand and grasping theportable terminal with the left hand. Therefore, the user can perform anintuitive or smooth operation by appropriately distributing the UIfunction into the two devices.

For example, the second user input corresponds to a change in theorientation of the portable terminal, and the second operationcorresponds to a change in the orientation of an object in a contentimage. Therefore, it is possible to operate the orientation of theobject using the portable terminal which can freely change itsorientation regardless of the installation surface. Such a userinterface is useful for a case where, particularly, an operation targetis displayed in 3D space.

In addition, for example, the first user input is a drag by a user onthe touch panel of the information processing device, and the firstoperation is a size change, a movement, or a viewpoint change of anobject in a content image. Generally, a drag on a touch panelfacilitates reflecting the distance and the direction desired by a usermore accurately than a case of moving a portable terminal in an actualspace. Therefore, in a case where accuracy of an operation is expectedto an extent, employing the above-described configuration is favorablerather than mapping both the movement and the orientation change of anobject onto user inputs to a portable terminal.

In addition, according to the above-described embodiments, a contentimage is output to an external display device, and operation guidanceregarding an operation of an object is displayed on the touch panel ofthe information processing device. Thereby, a user can easily operate anobject in the content image while viewing the operation guidance.

In addition, a series of processes performed by the portable terminaland the information processing device, described in the presentspecification, may be realized using any of software, hardware, or acombination of software and hardware. A program constituting thesoftware is stored in, for example, a storage medium installed inside oroutside each device in advance. In addition, each program is loaded to,for example, a RAM (Random Access Memory) during execution, and isexecuted by a processor such as a CPU.

The present disclosure contains subject matter related to that disclosedin Japanese Priority Patent Application JP 2010-252748 filed in theJapan Patent Office on Nov. 11, 2010, the entire contents of which arehereby incorporated by reference.

It should be understood by those skilled in the art that variousmodifications, combinations, sub-combinations and alterations may occurdepending on design requirements and other factors insofar as they arewithin the scope of the appended claims or the equivalents thereof.

What is claimed is:
 1. An information processing apparatus comprising:circuitry that during operation: generates a signal for displaying adisplay object on a display device; executes a first process related tothe display object in response to a first user input on a first deviceso as to provide a first image content for display on the displaydevice; and executes a second process related to the display object inresponse to a second user input on a second device so as to provide asecond image content for display on the display device, said seconddevice being separate from the first device, the display device beingseparate from the first device and the second device, and the first userinput involves a detection of a selected location of a surface of thefirst device and the second user input involves a change in anorientation of the second device, such that the circuitry enables (i)the first process to be executed so as to provide the first imagecontent for display on the display device in response to the detectionof the selected location of the surface of the first device and (ii) thesecond process to be executed so as to provide the second image contentfor display on the display device in response to the change in theorientation of the second device.
 2. The information processingapparatus of claim 1, wherein the surface of the first device is adisplay surface.
 3. The information processing apparatus of claim 1,wherein the surface of the first device includes a touch sensor.
 4. Theinformation processing apparatus of claim 3, wherein the first userinput is a touch of the touch sensor.
 5. The information processingapparatus of claim 1, wherein the information processing apparatuswirelessly communicates with the second device and the display device.6. The information processing apparatus of claim 1, wherein the surfaceof the first device is a table top.
 7. The information processingapparatus of claim 1, wherein, when the first user input and the seconduser input are detected at a same time, the circuitry executes a thirdprocess which is different from the first process and the secondprocess.
 8. The information processing apparatus of claim 1, wherein thefirst user input is a drag by a user on a touch panel of the firstdevice, and the first process is a size change, a movement or aviewpoint change of the display object.
 9. The information processingapparatus of claim 1, wherein the first user input is a touch by a useron a touch panel of the first device, and the first process is aselection of an operation target object from a plurality of operableobjects.
 10. The information processing apparatus of claim 1, whereinthe first user input is a drag by a user on a touch panel of the firstdevice, and the first process is a movement of an object in a contentimage, and wherein the circuitry controls a movement direction of thedisplay object depending on the orientation of the display object whichis changed based on the second user input.
 11. The informationprocessing apparatus of claim 1, wherein the second device detects athird user input, and wherein the circuitry switches the first processbetween a plurality of operation candidates, when information indicatingdetection of the third user input is received from the second device.12. The information processing apparatus of claim 1, wherein the displaydevice is external of the information processing apparatus.
 13. Theinformation processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein thecircuitry displays operation guidance showing an explanation regardingan operation of the display object on a touch panel of the first device.14. A table comprising: a main body with the information processingapparatus according to claim 1 built therein; and a top panel where adisplay surface of a touch panel of the first device executing thedetection is disposed at an upper side thereof.
 15. The informationprocessing apparatus according to claim 1, in which the circuitryenables either the first device or the second device to operate duringthe operation as a master device and the other of the first device andthe second device to operate as a slave device such that when the firstdevice is the master device each of the first process and the secondprocess is executed by the first device and when the second device isthe master device each of the first process and the second process isexecuted by the second device.
 16. An information processing methodcomprising: generating a signal for displaying a display object on adisplay device; executing a first process related to the display objectin response to a first user input on a first device so as to provide afirst image content for display on the display device; and executing asecond process related to the display object in response to a seconduser input on a second device so as to provide a second image contentfor display on the display device, said second device being separatefrom the first device, the display device being separate from the firstdevice and the second device, and the first user input involves adetection of a selected location of a surface of the first device andthe second user input involves a change in an orientation of the seconddevice, such that the executing of the first process to provide thefirst image content for display on the display device is in response tothe detection of the selected location of the surface of the firstdevice and the executing of the second process to provide the secondimage content for display on the display device is in response to thechange in the orientation of the second device.
 17. A non-transitoryrecording medium on which is recorded a program executable by a computerto perform: generating a signal for displaying a display object on adisplay device; executing a first process related to the display objectin response to a first user input on a first device so as to provide afirst image content for display on the display device; and executing asecond process related to the display object in response to a seconduser input on a second device so as to provide a second image contentfor display on the display device, said second device being separatefrom the first device, the display device being separate from the firstdevice and the second device, and the first user input involves adetection of a selected location of a surface of the first device andthe second user input involves a change in an orientation of the seconddevice, such that the executing of the first process to provide thefirst image content for display on the display device is in response tothe detection of the selected location of the surface of the firstdevice and the executing of the second process to provide the secondimage content for display on the display device is in response to thechange in the orientation of the second device.
 18. An informationprocessing system comprising: a first device; a second device beingseparate from the first device; and a circuitry that during operation;generates a signal for displaying a display object on a display device;executes first process related to the display object in response to afirst user input on the first device so as to provide a first imagecontent for display device; executes second process related to thedisplay object in response to a second user input on the second deviceso as to provide a second image content for display on the displaydevice, the first user input involves a detection of a selected locationof surface of the first device and the second user input involves achange in orientation of the second device, such that the circuitryenables (1) the first process to be executed so as to provide the firstimage content for display on the display device in response to thedetection of selected location of the surface of the first device and(2) the second process to be executed so as to provide the second imagecontent for display on the display device in response to the change inthe orientation of the second device.